1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a home network and particularly, to a method for deciding a network manager in a home network which can smoothly control and manage a home network.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, a home network means a technique which enables remote controlling by connecting all electric/electronic appliances in a house into a system. The home network will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a state that home electronics are connected to a conventional home network. The home network includes an Audio/Video (A/V) network, PC network and living network which are connected with home electronics.
The AN network is connected with home electronics which send/receive audio and video signals, such as a digital television 31, digital VCR 32 and a digital camcorder 33. The PC network is connected with products related with computer operations, such as a PC 41, picture phone 42, DVD 43 and the like. The living network is connected with home electronics, such as a refrigerator 51, air conditioner 52 and washing machine 53. For instance, the refrigerator 51 searches a method for cooling each food without using the computer 41, and can download the method. The washing machine 53 can be driven by a user and when the user comes back home after work, the washing machine 53 can be controlled to end its operation. Various protocols for controlling a home network are developed so that control and traffic of home electronics which are connected to the home network can be smoothly performed.
The living network control protocol (hereinafter, as LnCP) which is one of protocols for controlling the home network enables high-speed internet communication in a normal home using a power line network, and enables home networking through the power line network.
However, conventionally, as the home electronics are individually controlled through an internet network in a currently developed home networking protocol, a centralized controller, that is a network manager (hereinafter, as NM) of the home networking for controlling operations of each home electronics to be smoothly performed encompassing setting of operational order through the internet network, giving addresses, and setting of house codes which are connected to the internet network has not developed yet. Here, the NM is also called as a configuration manager (hereinafter, as CM) or a network configuration manager.
Also, conventionally, a protocol for performing a function of a central controller by giving a NM to home electronics of the home network has not actualized yet. In case the NM can be given to a plurality of home electronics and there is no protocol for controlling the NM, the NM is given to each home electronics in the home network, and accordingly, a plurality of NMs become to exist. If there exist a plurality of NMs in the home network, signals which are duplicated and controlled collide with each other, or confuse the home network when performing address allocation and managing which are unique characteristic of the NM, setting of the house code and scheduling of the operation of the respective home electronics.